Denis Hayes, Nicholas Kachman

Renowned environmentalist, Denis Hayes, talks to us about how we should reduce our meat consumption for the good of the planet, while former General Motors exec, Nicholas Kachman, tells us the real cause of GM’s 2008 bankruptcy and also discusses with Ralph how GM should have been a good corporate citizen and warned the people of Flint about the lead in the water. Plus, Ralph grills David about – of all things – music.

Nicholas Kachman was an executive at GM from 1957 to 1993, mainly working as a corporate environmental engineer. When General Motors filed for bankruptcy in 2008, there were a lot of excuses given and a lot of fingers pointed at the usual suspects: overwhelming healthcare costs, unreasonable union demands, too much government regulation, and poorly designed cars. Mr. Kachman points to an entirely different reason for the 2008 bankruptcy that led to an enormous taxpayer bailout. He focuses on a long-term strategic decision by corporate management that turned into a financial debacle that still burdens the company today. That decision was called “The Paint Plan.” His book is entitled GM – Paint It Red: Inside General Motors’ Culture of Failure.